It was this type of posturing that first brought Mr Wright to the attention of the president’s inner circle. Harold Hamm, the billionaire oil executive who donated millions of dollars to Mr Trump’s campaign and advised on energy issues, pushed for Mr Wright to be tapped for energy secretary.
He had been involved in an industry lobby group Mr Hamm founded, and Mr Hamm helped organise a meeting between Mr Wright, Mr Trump and other fossil fuel executives at Mar-a-Lago during the campaign. There, Mr Trump reportedly wondered aloud whether he might become his next energy secretary.
“It is a dream team of unimaginable proportions,” Mr Hamm said after Mr Wright and another ally, Doug Burgum, were picked as energy secretary and interior secretary.
Mr Wright arrived in Washington as an experienced fossil fuel executive who, unlike some of Mr Trump’s other cabinet picks, had a long background working in the industry that he was now overseeing, and a strong vision for the future.
“I call myself a science geek turned tech nerd, turned lifelong energy entrepreneur,” he said at his confirmation hearing. “Energy has been a lifelong passion of mine and I have never been shy about that fact. President Trump shares my passion for energy and, if confirmed, I will work tirelessly to implement his bold agenda.”
But by autumn last year, relationships appeared to be souring.
As Mr Trump’s aides reportedly pushed for the wholesale dismantling of green projects, Mr Wright took a more nuanced approach. He consulted the industry and made the case for some grants to remain in place, according to Politico.
